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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: shower · suit · ball · fall · rock · patient · perch · track

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. shower — rain
  4. rock — a stone
  5. suit — to fit
  6. shower — to wash
  7. track — to keep track
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. fall — the season
  10. fall — to drop
  11. ball — a great time
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. track — a song
  14. track — a path
  15. suit — clothes
  16. fall — to drop
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. suit — in cards
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. ball — a dance
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. rock — music

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com